15 Monstrous Mining Machines

With the recent rescue of the 33 Chilean miners, we've got mining on the brain. How do they create those crazy tunnels deep in the earth? With these spinning, churning, crushing machines of mayhem and destruction, that's how.

The MV 220 Continuous Miner has dual three-pronged fan-like blades with giant studded teeth that tear through rock as they rotate. A central roller on top follows through like a ferocious car wash.

This is the Roadheader used at Stanford Linear Accelerator Construction.

The Anshan Powerful Heavy Industry Co Roadheader.

This is the Joy 12HM36, the world's largest continuous miner. It weighs 120 tons and was first produced in 1948.

The Joy 1CM Continuous Miner dates back to the 1950s.

This subsea rock cutting platform is made by Cellula Robotics.

The Sandvik MF 120 Continuous Miner.

Fairfield Continuous Coal Mining Machine has no cab and the cutter head has a spiral and waste removal system that is similar to that of a vacuum cleaner.

A terrifying-looking Hybrid Heading and Mining Machine.

Continous Mining for Road Salt is how the road salt that's distributed on streets in winter is mined.

The T3 20 Roadheader is specifically designed for medium to hard rock.

A Heavy-Duty (100-ton plus, perhaps) Roadheader from the Ukraine.

A strange dual boom drill, with two giant booms extending from the tractor cab of this mining machine like a praying mantis.

The Mitsui SLB 300s is one of the largest roadheaders available, able to cut out holes more than 7m high.